Wadsworth Waited

NFL DRAFT

Now Nfl Wants Him

Defensive End Andre Wadsworth, Who Played Four Years At Florida State, Could Go Right After Quarterbacks Peyton Manning And Ryan Leaf In The Nfl Draft On Saturday. That's Not Bad For A Former Walk-on.

April 16, 1998|By Alan Schmadtke of The Sentinel Staff

TALLAHASSEE — Few football players understand the NFL draft better than Andre Wadsworth.

History and observation are powerful teachers.

While coaches and analysts project Wadsworth as the draft's top pass rusher and the most sought-after player after quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf, such news is telling Florida State's former walk-on something he already believed.

His roommate told him so. When former Seminoles defensive end Pete Boulware returned to school in January and moved in with Wadsworth, the NFL's defensive rookie of the year spread the news.

``He said I was probably ready last year,'' Wadsworth said. ``I might have been, but I didn't see it quite that way. I wanted to play outside[ at end), and I just wasn't ready to leave.''

After leading FSU with 16 sacks and winning the Atlantic Coast Conference's player-of-the-year honors, Wadsworth is more than ready a year later.

``I don't think there's any question about the ability, and the character and the intelligence and the work habits are all A-plus,'' Chicago Bears coach Dave Wannstedt said. ``There's not a team in the NFL that does not need a defensive lineman.

``Most people would rather get an end that has grown into the position like he has, as opposed to a guy that's big and slower and needs to lose weight. He's plenty athletic enough and runs well enough to play end.''

Said draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.: ``I compare Andre Wadsworth to Bruce Smith in terms of his natural instincts and athleticism, getting after the quarterback. He is as close to can't miss as you can get.''

Wadsworth's size (6 feet 4, 272 pounds) and speed (4.7 seconds in the 40-yard dash, last time anyone could check) led to predraft interviews with Oakland, Chicago, St. Louis and Dallas.

Strangely, Wadsworth said he did not interview with Arizona, the team on the board after Indianapolis and San Diego remove Manning and Leaf from the draft.

That has fueled speculation that the Cardinals will trade their No.3 pick or use it to take Heisman Trophy-winning cornerback Charles Woodson of Michigan.

Regardless, Wadsworth said he holds out hope of being FSU's highest NFL draft pick. Boulware (fourth in 1997 by Baltimore) and linebacker Marvin Jones (fourth in 1993 by the New York Jets) hold that honor.

``It would be nice, but you don't have a choice where you go,'' Wadsworth said. ``You go where you're taken, and you make the best of it.''

Wadsworth, who will spend Saturday at home with his family in St. Croix, fashioned a stellar college career doing just that.

Florida State assistant head coach Chuck Amato coaxed Wadsworth into walking on at FSU out of Florida Christian School in Miami. Before he showed up on campus, Wadsworth broke his leg in a car accident. When he did show up, he weighed 210 pounds.

He started a game against Miami as a redshirt freshman, then won a scholarship. Three years later, Wadsworth saw Boulware, the nation's sacks leader in 1996, leave after his redshirt junior season.

As agents called to recruit Boulware, they also tried to entice Wadsworth, who often screened calls for his roommate.

``There was a lot of talk,'' Wadsworth said. ``They were like, `You should come out. You should come out.' Pete asked me what I thought. He thought I was probably ready. But that wasn't the right time for me. I'm glad it worked out like it did.''

The only asterisk next to Wadsworth's name appears to be a small one. He pulled his right quadriceps (thigh) muscle while running a 40 for pro scouts last month. Because he didn't run at February's NFL Combine in Indianapolis, the injury means he has no NFL-clocked speed headed into the draft.

His predraft stock hasn't suffered. The NFL's need for speed against the passing game is too great.

``Running the ball will make you consistent. The passing game scores more points. Defensively, you emphasize where you're trying to stop them from scoring points,'' Buffalo coach Wade Phillips said.

Said Cincinnati Bengals coach Bruce Coslet of Wadsworth: ``He's got a real bright future. He's the real deal. He's so big and strong and fast. He's very intense. He never slows down. He's got a great future.''